1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the art of gas turbine engines and more particularly to the art of modular gas turbine engines. More particularly the invention is concerned with a particular and disassembleable modular gas turbine engine assembly which is disassembleable into a gasifier module, a case and a power output module for easy servicing. The particular assembly of the invention also allows for interchangeability of parts since it provides for alignment of the individual module and the case relative to one another.
2. Prior Art
A number of modular gas turbine engines are known. For example, Solar produces some such engines in the form of vertically removable modules as described for example in Gas Turbine International of March-April 1972 on page 3 thereof. This type of modular gas turbine engine assembly requires that the individual sections or modules thereof be removed vertically and further requires that the shafts between modules be themselves disassembleable one from another so as to be vertically removable in sections with the rest of the modules thereof. Such modular gas turbine engine assemblies have a tendency to be relatively large for the horsepower available. Avco Lycoming produces a "TS" series of modular gas turbine engines as discussed for example in Gas Turbine World, dated March 1974 on page 27. Dresser Industries, as described in Sawyer's Gas Turbine catalog for 1970 at page 179 discloses yet other modular gas turbine engine assemblies. Yet another modular gas turbine engine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,595. A pressure seal for separating elements of a gas turbine engine shroud assembly is disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,222. U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,749 is concerned with expansion devices in the form of axially spaced cylindrical bellows for turbine casings. U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,323 discloses a heat exchanger which is useful with a gas turbine engine and is attachable thereto.